The Culture of Flapper Girls

The 1920’s became one of the most prominent decades for female empowerment. This is mainly visible in the rise in popularity of flapper girls and their relationship to jazz culture. Essentially the 1920’s Jazz Age provided the perfect context and opportunities for women to ‘break free’ from the traditional norm. Flapper girls expressed their political and social rebellion through fashion, music, and dance, which reflected the strong influence of the musical cultural shift that came with Jazz.

After returning from the World War I, many of the younger generations didn’t agree with the traditional social values of America. They no longer felt identified by them and instead were disillusioned by the country’s attitude towards war which seemed to be mostly denial. Young women of the time expressed their disillusionment towards older generations by rebelling against the concept of feminity.

Flapper women dressed in eccentric ways with straight dresses whose hemlines were above their knees, the cut their hair to appear disheveled and boyish and would wear extravagant makeup. Their aesthetic was influenced by French fashion, which was being revolutionized by Coco Chanel's passion for a masculine look on women. In general, flapper women rejected the idea of women being decorative wallflowers, conservative and silent. Instead, they showed progressive attitudes and appeared to be more in tune with modern morals regarding sexuality. They showed this by going out without male escorts to parties that would last all night, driving motor cars autonomously, smoking in public and holding hands with men without wearing gloves.

Their liberalization was aided by all of the opportunities that came with the 1920’s. The rise of jazz, radio broadcasts, and recording technology provided women with opportunities to join the entertainment industry. Bessie Smith became an icon of the time for being a black female artist and Clara Bow was the poster girl for flappers after staring in the movie ‘it’. Dance club and speakeasies started appearing during the era of prohibition, making partying one of the most popular forms of rebelling. These parties were the main place to spot flappers, who would be dancing the fox-trot, waltz or American tango.

There is so much to cover about the flapper women and their multiple ways they rebelled against society. You can read all about them in the book “Out of the Mouths of Babes: Girl Evangelists in the Flapper Era” by Thomas E. Robinson in our online library www.mediazide.com.